The University of New Hampshire Law Library and the Association of New Hampshire Law Librarians are pleased to announce that they will be hosting the Spring 2015 Law Librarians of New England (LLNE) conference on April 24, 2015 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in downtown Concord, New Hampshire.
The Spring 2015 LLNE Conference, Mindfulness and Librarians: Bridge over Troubled Waters, promotes the integration of mindfulness into the training of lawyers and law students, as a way of increasing well-being, balance, and effectiveness. Mindfulness is the gentle effort of being continuously present with experience. Author Jon Kabat-Zinn’s definition of mindfulness is “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” Over time, bringing a mindful perspective into legal education and law practice may provide great benefits to lawyers and their clients, and ultimately foster a more just, compassionate, and reflective legal system.
Librarians often fail to give ourselves over completely to the moment – the reference interview, the question being asked, teaching classes, the catalog record, etc. Librarians love to multitask. How can we not multitask, given the nature of our jobs, with the information-saturated environments in which we work? We will explore how mindfulness practice will lead us and those we serve to be mindful, increase intellectual and emotional intelligence, expand capacity and resilience, decrease stress and anxiety, cultivate and advance joy and satisfaction in the practice of law leading to enhanced civility, and greater ease at home with family and friends. Our program brings together speakers from various disciplines supporting our consideration of mindfulness in libraries, legal education and practice and dispute resolution.
Speakers and facilitators include attorney and educator Liz Maillett of Still Sense who will be delivering the keynote talk on “Mindfulness and the Troubled Legal World,” Margaret Fletcher, of the Center for Health Promotion at Concord Hospital who will be speaking on the topic of “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction,” Professor and author Deborah Calloway who will be speaking on the topic “Becoming a Joyful Lawyer,” Associate Dean Filippa Anzalone of Boston College Law who will be facilitating an unconference section of the event on the topic of “Mindfulness and Librarianship,” and Professor Sophie Sparrow of UNH Law who will speaking on the topic of “Mindfulness in Legal Education.”
Registration for the event is $55 per person and includes lunch.